dotHack: Affection
by Emerald Twin Blade
Summary: This takes place during Quarantine, and during the battle against Macha. Kite spends time with Elk to show his true feelings... but what happens in the battle against Macha if Elk hadn't been KOed right away? Shounen ai, Kite x Elk. No Like, no Read.
1. Promise

**.Hack/Affection**

_Written by Emerald Twin Blade_

**: Fragment No. 1 :**

_**Promise**_

Everybody's favorite blue-haired Wavemaster would sigh, sitting beside the bridge in the **Δ** Server's Root Town, Aqua Capital Mac Anu. Leaning against his staff with a look of despair on his face, all he did was stare sadly into the waters that flowed through the city. Red patches of data codes could be seen _all_ around the Root Town, and it was even beneath the water, as well. Crimson eyes stared at one of the patches for a very long time, and in his mind, he practically _memorized_ the code that was visible. He'd gotten so caught up in repeating those numbers and signs in his head, that he didn't notice his lips moving as he mumbled the code _and_ that somebody had approached him from behind.

"Elk…?" a soft voice asked, a brown-gloved hand being place on his shoulder.

Elk _jumped_ at the sudden contact, and nearly fell into the water before him. His eyes were wide as he suddenly saw just how _much_ those codes mattered. The closer he got to the water, the more he noticed that there was _nothing_ there… at _all_. It was a void, and fear swelled inside of his chest. He opened his mouth to let out a cry, but then he felt two arms suddenly grab him around the waist and yank him back to the sidewalk.

He was panting, those red hues still wide with the fright he'd just experienced. If one could be scared one moment and then _angry_ the next at the person who made them feel in such a way, Elk surely was not one of them. He didn't even stop to look at _whom_ it was that'd saved him, but he felt so grateful right now that he didn't _care_. Rushing forward, his arms clasped around the person's neck in a hug.

"Oh, thank you so much! You saved me!"

A good-natured laugh would be heard, and the Wavemaster knew _exactly_ who it was. His grateful happiness was replaced with embarrassed nervousness as he looked at the face of the person he was embracing, his cheeks reddening in a bright blush.

"K-K-Kite…? Wh-Wh-What're you doing here?"

The dark aqua-haired Twin Blade smiled, laughing again, "I came looking for you! I knew you were online right now, but you kept ignoring my FlashMail… Is everything all right, Elk?"

Elk sighed, looking down at the solid stone walkway with a worried look. He couldn't look at the older boy, or at least, not without his face getting warmer and probably changing color, too.

Solid… Remembering how it was when he thought he'd fall into the void… relief came over his Heart as he absently leaned his head against the Twin Blade's shoulder.

Had the Wavemaster not have been in deep thought, he might've actually noticed the dark red blush that crept across _Kite's_ face.

_He must still be afraid about what almost just happened…_ he thought, deciding that he should be a good friend and comfort the younger one. Placing his arms around the other's waist again, he held him close, feeling something begin to happen inside of him. He felt like he never wanted to let him go, and that he wanted to keep him safe, _Heh, why am I thinking this way…? I know… I should be disgusted, or even scared of these feelings… but… it feels so **right**…_

Feeling a soft pull around him made Elk snap out of his thoughts, and he blushed embarrassedly, quickly pushing out of Kite's reach and staring down at the ground again.

"I-I'm sorry… I-I don't… kn-know what got into me…"

He picked up a hand to hold to his rapidly beating Heart, panting slightly to catch his breath and to calm himself down.

Warmth… Protection… And, dare he think it… **Love**, was what he'd felt when he was so close to the other boy. For a while now, he'd known about his feelings toward Kite and had accepted them, but he'd also known that if the other boy were to catch on or find out about those feelings, he might not want to be friends anymore… if they even _were_ friends.

"Heh, it's okay, I don't mind…" Kite assured, tilting his head slightly and looking over to Elk with a smile, although, he _did_ feel his arms yearn to hold the other close to him again.

"K-Kite…? D-Do you… consider us… _friends_…?"

The Twin Blade's bright blue eyes went wide for a moment as his smile weakened and an eyebrow was raised, "Well, of course… Why wouldn't I? We've been through so much together… I kinda thought—"

"Oh, no, Kite! I didn't mean it _that_ way! I consider you a friend, too! A _close_ friend, even! I—" Elk had _just_ caught himself before he blurted out the last words _'like you as **more** than just a friend,'_ and was able to redirect his speech but with _very_ noticeable difficulty, "… _really_ think I should stop talking now…"

Kite just blinked, watching the Wavemaster struggle for words, and his smile became full again. His cheeks had lightened to a less dark shade of red, but it was still visible, probably not to Elk, though. He turned his face away to look toward the sky, but his eyes lingered on the other boy for a moment before following.

"I'm… glad you see us that way, then…" feeling eyes looking toward him and a cute outtake of breath he just _knew_ was from his friend, he turned his head again to look at him, "Anyway, I came here looking for you… Do you want to come with me to a Dungeon? It's nothing big, just a regular unrestricted area…"

Elk looked down again, considering it, and then smiled as brightly as he could with a nod, "Umm… Okay!"

The Wavemaster had become a part of the Twin Blade's party the moment he accepted. Kite pushed himself up to his feet and held out a hand to help Elk up, as well.

Taking his hand, the blue-haired boy would get pull up and then follow the other toward the Chaos Gate, "So… Where're we going?" He _did_ hope it was in _this_ Server… he was too afraid to go beyond the Root Towns of the other Servers because he didn't want to die against something really big and scary.

Kite could hear the nervousness in Elk's voice, so he smiled at him and held his hand out to him again, "Elk… Do you trust me…?"

Surprised by the question, he answered right away, "O-Of course I do! I-I was just wondering…" Holding his staff and hands close to his chest, he was so embarrassed and nervous… it was just so cute! "I-Is anybody else coming with us…?"

"No… But that just leads us back to the question… Do you trust me?"

Elk's right hand shook slightly as he slowly reached out his own hand and took the other's, and as if just holding onto his hand could make him feel better, his courage increased with a nod, "Al-Alright, then…"

The two disappeared as they suddenly were warped to a different Server…

**Ω Server : Relic City Lia Fail**

When everything was visible again, they found themselves in a rather dark and gloomy city-like place. Streetlights were on all around them to show them where they were, and right in front of them was a Grunty Ranch. The first thing that Elk noticed was the Little Grunty crawling around inside of the small ranching area, a small smile curling on his lips at how cute it was. He'd always wanted to raise a Grunty… but he didn't think that he'd be a worthy master to it once it grew up.

"Mon ami!"

"G-Gah!" he jumped, hiding behind Kite as a huge Grunty that seemed to have blonde hair galloped up to them.

"Mon ami! Oh, Mon ami, I _knew_ you'd come back!" it exclaimed, seemingly happy.

Kite just smiled, nodding toward the Noble Grunty and looking over to his friend of whom hid behind him, "Elk, this is my Noble Grunty… He's _nothing_ to be afraid of!"

"Oh, I resent that, Mon ami! However, since it is _you_, Mon ami, I will let it slide…" the Noble Grunty huffed, "As for why I've come straight to you, Mon ami, I found out something very interesting from Milky!"

"Mil… ky…?" Elk blinked, looking to Kite again.

The Twin Blade laughed, "Yeah… I've kinda helped a lot of different Grunty's grow up, and Milky's just one of them that Noble here likes to hang around with…" Giving his attention back to the Grunty before him, he nodded, "I know, she told me already. I'm actually planning on heading over there today."

"Oh, _really_, Mon ami? I'm _very_ sure you'll be happy with _any_ results you get from going there, Mon ami! But now, I must bid you adieu, Mon ami! I shall see you soon, Mon ami!"

With that said, it turned around and galloped back to where it usually stood, waiting for anyone or anything to come by and speak with it.

"Th-That was… a little strange…" Elk mumbled, walking back to be beside Kite rather than behind him.

"Heh, heh… Yeah, but you kinda get used to it once you've raised a whole bunch of 'em, right?" he turned to look to the Chaos Gate, and typed in the Keyword, "All right, you ready to go? It's a little bit high, but not too high…"

"Wh-What's the Area Level…?"

"Just 79…"

"79? K-Kite, d-don't you think that's a little _high_? I'm only level 74… I don't think just the two of us would be able to survive very long…"

Kite laughed, shaking his head and putting a hand on his shoulder, "That's not true… You've got powerful magic, and healing to boot! While you stand back and handle things from afar, I'll take care of everything in close-range. I promise, I won't let anything bad happen to you, alright?"

Elk looked up at the Leader of the Party, a worried look still on his face, "Y-You promise…? Are you sure? Y-You don't have to… I don't want to trouble you…"

"Oh, Elk, it's no trouble at all! Really… I'll protect you, _I swear it_…"

A nod of timid belief came from the lightly blushing Wavemaster, and then they warped to the area of which Kite had chosen.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Taahaa! What do you think of my first Kite x Elk fic? I read _every_ **single** Kite x Elk fanfic here on a while back, and I thought, **Hey, there aren't enough of 'em!** So! Here I am! I'm writing one myself! I'm not all that sure if I'm putting Kite and/or Elk a little bit OOC, but I did feel a little bit weird with how I made Kite act...

Anyway! Reviews, please? Reviews, good, yes? Gimme lots and lots of good **Reviews**:


	2. Adventure

**: Fragment No. 2 :**

**_Adventure_**

**Ω Boundless Smiling Projection**

Appearing once again with new surroundings, the young Wavemaster looked around in awe. He'd never gone to an area that looked like _this_ before… It looked like a beautiful wilderness, with tall trees and bushy bushes all around them. The calls of birds could be heard in the distance, and the codes of letters, numbers and signs were _flying_ through the air here, like in his favorite area. A wide smile came to his face as he took a step forward to look completely around.

"Oh, _wow_! This place looks _beautiful_!"

The Twin Blade also smiled, putting a hand on his hip and putting his weight on his opposite leg, "I thought you'd think so… I guess it's why I decided to ask you to come here with me…"

Elk just _stopped_, turning to face the other with a lightly blushing face, "B-But that doesn't… I-I mean, even a pretty place like that… just _has_ to have a high level, right…?"

"Heh, you're right, I suppose… C'mon, let's see how far we can get without running into any monsters."

He nodded, following after Kite as they exited that safe square and wandered into a slightly larger area. A huge golden Monster Crest was spinning in the middle of it, and _they'd_ just activated it. Elk gave a silent cry of fright, and Kite quickly unsheathed his blades.

"Damn… I thought we'd be able to get farther without running into anything…" Kite mumbled, charging forward as a monster with _many_ eyes suddenly appeared. He glared at it, and it glared right _back_, "It's a Death Glare! Elk, stand back and wait to use First Aid!"

The younger boy stood back and nodded shyly, holding his staff closely.

Kite, however, jumped up and started attacking the huge eyeball monster. He used Staccatto, and spun around several times, doing as much damage as he could, but the end of the attack depleted only a seventh of the monster's HP. The largest eye began to roll back slightly, and he knew what it was doing. He quickly rushed away from him, only to be stopped in his tracks when it's spell was being cast.

"A-Ack… I c-can't…" he stuttered, struggling to move so he could dodge the spell before it started coming.

"_Pha Repth_!" Elk exclaimed, commanding a powerful Heal spell to happen, but it always took him a few moments to make it activate… _Perfect_.

Five burning red asteroid-like fireballs rained down on top of Kite, his HP going lower and lower each time they hit. The fifth one would have taken him down, but then Elk's Healing spell kicked in before it could hit. His HP was completely healed, and only a 3rd of it had gone down with that last fireball. Turning his head, he flashed the Wavemaster a wink and a smile of gratitude before rushing forward to attack again.

Elk blushed, but kept himself in check, "_Pha Repth_!"

The Twin Blade kept attacking, no matter how much damage he was losing. Upon being healed, he quickly used Staccatto after Staccatto, hoping that his weapon's bonus of **Death** would kick in soon. Apparently, Fate had another thing in store for him as the monster rammed him into the ground. If that had been a normal attack, it wouldn't have done much damage… but this monster _also_ had the **Death** bonus. He was left with 365 HP from what he could tell, and he quickly yelled out a command.

"Elk, First Aid!"

"Right! _Pha Repth_!"

_One more… Just **one** more…_ Kite thought, growling as he used one more Staccatto.

At last, **Death** had taken its toll on the Death Glare, and it was left with 390 HP. He smirked, knowing that he could easily take it down _now_, and he didn't even have to **Data Drain** it! Getting ready to use Staccatto one more time, he was interrupted when those asteroids began to rain down on him again.

_Damn_ it! He didn't even _notice_ as it was getting ready to use that spell! Falling back into the ground, he did his best to roll out of the way of the fireballs, only to get hit by two of them.

"_Pha Repth_!"

Thank the _Lord_ that Elk was there… As he pushed himself up and looked around for the enemy, he suddenly heard a familiar scream. His eyes went wide as he spun around to face where Elk had been standing, only to see the Death Glare floating toward him.

"Elk!" he cried, running forward and trying to use Staccatto…

_Damn it! I'm out of SP!_ Kite cursed in his head, doing the only thing he could think to do.

He _jumped_ in front of Elk and began attacking the monster to get it down to 0 HP. Surprisingly, it didn't take as long as he'd thought it would. The Death Glare fell to the ground and disappeared.

Elk fell back into a sitting position, and Kite fell to his knees. They looked at each other for a moment, embarrassment on their faces.

"U-Umm… Th-Thank you…" the Wavemaster stuttered, smiling weakly with a light blush spreading across his cheeks. When the Twin Blade had jumped in front of him to save him from the monster, he felt that same warmth in his Heart as he had earlier back in Mac Anu, _He really **did** protect me…_

"Heh… Anytime…"

"K-Kite? Y-You didn't have to bring _me_ along, you know… Why didn't you bring Wiseman… or Mistral?"

Kite shrugged, turning himself around to face the other and sit Indian style, "Because, I wanted to bring _you_. I don't regret choosing you to come along, Elk. You did a great job timing when to Heal me, and just because you attracted a monster's attention _once_ doesn't mean that you'll do it _all_ the time, right?" He looked up at the sky now, "Besides… I _did_ promise that I'd protect you, didn't I? We've still got to get to the dungeon, so I _do_ intend on keeping that promise until we get to the end, alright?"

Elk stared at him, touched by what he'd said. Nonetheless, he smiled and nodded. Getting to their feet, they continued through the Field, searching for the way that would lead them to the Dungeon. Fortunately, or perhaps _un_fortunately, Death Glare was the only type of monster out there in the field. As the younger stood back and Healed, the older charged into battle.

Eventually, they made it to the entrance of the Dungeon, and they weren't even low on supplies. Kite looked to Elk with a confident smile.

"You ready?"

"Y-Yeah…" Elk replied, holding on tightly to his Staff as they began through the walkway.

The dungeon was dim, but it was bright enough so you could see where you were going. The ground was a color between green and brown, the walls were dark, and purple markings were all around. Skeletons were dug into the walls, frightening him enough to start walking just a _little_ bit closer to the Leader.

Upon entering the next room, they activated the next Monster Crest. Almost unexpectedly, it _wasn't_ a Death Glare that'd appeared. This time it was a monster called Rainbow Tail, and it looked like it had the upper torso of a harpy and an oversized lower torso of a peacock. It let out a shriek as it stretched out and a tornado of Wood-based Magic suddenly came out of the ground beneath the two PCs.

"This one can't do as much damage as the Death Glare did, so try using Earth Spells, Elk!" Kite called over his shoulder as he ran in closer to the monster and began to cast a spell of his own, "_GiGan Zot_!"

Several boulders dropped down from the ceiling above the Rainbow Tail, causing the monster to take damage and focus it's attention on him instead of the _completely_ off-guard Wavemaster.

"A-Ah... R-Right!" Elk nodded, raising his staff into the air, "_OrGan Zot_!"

Stone columns began to rise out of the ground beneath the monster, doing severe damage and getting it down by more than half it's HP. As the Twin Blade finished it off with another _GiGan Zot_, he turned to face his companion with a look of amazement on it.

The younger one blushed at the stare he was receiving, "Wh-What? I-Is something wrong?"

Kite laughed, turning red in embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head some, "Eh heh… S-Sorry… No, it's nothing, but the thing is… Your Magic is really powerful! I didn't even know you had level 3 Spells…" He turned around quickly, walking in the direction of one of the other doorways, "L-Let's get moving, shall we? We've only just entered the Dungeon…"

Elk blinked, following after the other, but thinking with confusion, _Was… Kite just…?_ He shook his head to clear that thought, _No… He couldn't have… He was just giving me a compliment, that's all… right…?_

As they went through the Dungeon, they ran into _many_ Rainbow Tails through the first three floors, but when they got to the fourth floor, things got a little bit harder when Pumpkin Heads and Lich Lords started appearing. Status Problems and continuous Dark-based Attacks were galore, so the idea was that Kite went for the Lich Lords because they had Magic Tolerance, and Elk go after the Pumpkin Heads since they had Physical Tolerance. It was all over in a matter of moments.

The fifth floor didn't seem so different from the last… until they entered the chamber of which the Boss Monster stood. Elk had gasped and backed up a bit while Kite, as usual, cursed.

"A Data Bug… In a place like _this_…?"

This monster seemed to have once been a Lich Lord, but now it was larger and had several patches of visible code around its virtual body. It raised its staff into the air and Thunder Magic flooded the room, doing damage to the _both_ of them.

"K-Kite!" the Wavemaster called, wincing as the lightning _barely_ touched his cheek. He was actually doing a good job of avoiding the attack.

"Elk, just get back… Use First Aid!" Kite commanded, running forward and taking out a different type of Twin Blades, "_Dark Dance_!"

Attacking with Dark-based Attacks was a good idea, for Lich Lords were really bad against such. Whereas Elk stood back, as the Leader instructed, and cast the Healing Spell _Phal Repth_ to heal the both of them to full health.

The Twin Blade would glare up at the monster, unable to see if it was losing any damage at all. Biting back a growl, he jumped back and then rushed back in to attack again, only to freeze in his spot and find himself paralyzed.

"Elk! A little help, please?"

"Huh? Oh! Yes!" Elk quickly healed his status problems with an item, and then looked to the L16H L0R12, casting a spell he hoped would work against it, "_MeAni Zot_!"

Claws of Darkness rose from the ground and scratched at the huge monster, doing enough damage to _Protect Break_ it. Kite immediately activated the invisible bracelet that was around his wrist, pointing it at the Data Bug.

"Data—Drain! Haah!"

Suddenly, the huge L16H L0R12 was now a regular Lich Lord, and it scurried away from the two, trying to stay alive long enough to PK them. The older of the two, however, was not going to let it get away. He quickly ran forward and started using _Dark Dance_, taking the monster down in a matter of moments. Unfortunately, though, the monster had cast a spell that would cause a status problem… **Charm**.

Elk smiled as the monster disappeared, _completely_ unaware of the predicament he'd be in if he didn't cure his friend soon. Suddenly, he blinked as the Leader began running toward him with his blades at the ready.

"K-Kite? What're you doing!" he asked in fright, flinching backward a bit.

"I-It's not me! I've been Charmed! Hurry and Heal me before I attack you!"

The Wavemaster scrambled through his bag, looking for something that could help. He smiled as he pulled out a Restorative, looking up, only to see that Kite was already upon him, ready to strike.

"A-Aaah!" he cried, activating the item and feeling himself fall backwards.

Kite quickly flung his blades out behind the younger player so he couldn't hurt him, but he'd lost his balance and wound up falling forward, landing on top of his companion.

Elk's face _instantly_ turned red as he felt the contact of the older boy on top of him, and his Heart began to beat _so_ rapidly in his chest that he was _sure_ the other could hear it, or even _feel_ it from where he was. He couldn't risk opening his mouth, for fear of what could come out of it…

The Twin Blade, also blushing heatedly, slowly picked up his head from his shoulder, finding himself looking _directly_ into his deep crimson eyes. His own blue ones went wide, his face becoming redder as he suddenly found himself thinking of how beautiful they were… and how he wished he could just stare into them for the rest of the day.

"E-Err…" He mumbled quietly, in an embarrassed yet stunned way.

The younger one didn't want to move… yet, at the same time, he did. He didn't know _what_ to do, actually, so he just laid there, gazing back up at the other.

"I…" Kite began, but then he shook his head to clear his severely clouded mind and slowly pushed himself back up, "S-Sorry…"

Well! _That_ was awkward…

Elk, with the help of Kite's out stretched hand, got back up to his feet, and found himself holding his Staff and his hands tightly together in his lap, and staring down at the ground with that huge blush on his face.

"I-It's okay…" he tried to assure, but he couldn't even _look_ at the Leader of the Party.

"Let's go, then… I'm sure that other way was the way to the Gott Statue…"

With a nod, from the both of them, they exited that particular chamber and went into the room to it's left, only to find a large statue floating in the middle of a golden-ringed circle with a treasure chest sitting before it. They smiled weakly at each other before Kite approached the chest and opened it, gaining three interesting items.

"W-Well… I-I guess that was it, then, huh…?" the Wavemaster asked, staring down at the floor again with a saddened look on his face.

"Yeah… and I've got to log out for a while, too. _Homework_, wouldn't you know…"

"Then… I guess this is goodbye…"

"_For now_…" Kite finished.

Elk looked up at him, blinking as the Twin Blade turned, but as he turned, he smiled and winked at him while tossing something to him. His hands, though holding onto the Staff as they were, caught the small object in the air. He opened them up, only to see a Yellow Candy resting there. His blush lightened as a bright smile came to his face. Looking up to thank the one who'd led him here, he noticed that he was already gone…

He was confused for a moment, but it didn't last. He hugged the small Yellow Candy to his Heart, sighing contentedly.

"Kite…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

LoL! Wasn't that _cute_! I kinda got that last idea from CCS, so... yeah. LoL, I just thought it'd be cute to add in there, especially with how Elk acts. Anyway, I was actually planning on holding out this chapter until I got 5 Reviews, but I thought **What the hell? I've got 3 awesome Reviews already, so why not?** Now, for you people who liked the first chapter, here was the second! Buuut! I _do_ hope I get more Reviews for this one since it was more action-y and Blah. LoL!

THANK YOU, **DOKUMO**, **INSANITOON**, AND **ROGUE AI**! YOU GAVE ME THE STRENGTH TO CONTINUE THIS! And why do I not thank that person with the question marks?Well, that's because he knows I thank him every day for talking to me when nobody else does... LoL! Yes, that's my brother. xDD!

Now, now... Review? If you love me, you will Review this!


	3. Change of Heart

**: Fragment No. 3 :**

_**Change of Heart**_

**Σ Server : Aerial City Fort Ouph**

The blue-haired Wavemaster would sigh, walking away from the Recorder. He seriously couldn't get his mind off of that Dungeon Adventure he'd gone on with Kite two days ago. Then again, he hadn't seen Mia on in a long while. She'd actually sent him an e-mail, asking him to go to **Σ Graceful Tempting Fallen Angel**. Since it was Mia who'd asked for him, he immediately said yes, but now he wasn't so sure… Yes, he was now at level 77 thanks to that adventure with Kite, and the Area Level was 76, but he was still sort of afraid… Mia was probably on the very last floor waiting for him, and it'd be extremely hard for him, a lone Wavemaster, to get all the way down there without getting into any trouble.

_I wish I could go down there with Kite… But Mia said to go alone… Oooh, she **knows** how hard it is for me to do stuff by myself!_ He thought, biting his lip as he typed in the Keyword. He sighed, pressing the **Warp** button, _I don't have much of a choice now, do I…? I already accepted…_

**Σ Server : Aerial City Fort Ouph – A Little Bit Later**

Kite sighed, folding his arms as he, Balmung, and Wiseman had suddenly appeared there in the Σ Server. As soon as they'd gotten to the supposed _Boss Room_ back in **Ω Cruel Vindictive Scars**, Lios had called in and said that The Wave was moving over to a different area. Now, they had to head over to **Σ Graceful Tempting Fallen Angel** to make an attempt to stop the madness taking place there in The World.

"Alright, you guys… You ready? Got everything you need? Need to drop anything off?" he asked, wanting to get all of that stuff out of the way before they went off and probably started to look like they were trying to get themselves killed.

"I'm good." Balmung replied, his arms folded with a serious look on his face.

"There's nothing I am in need of. We should go now." Wiseman advised, holding his Staff to the side.

The Twin Blade nodded, "Alright, then… Here we go!"

He typed in the Keyword, and then the three of them disappeared.

**Σ Graceful Tempting Fallen Angel**

After fighting through several monsters to get to the fifth floor, the three PCs rushed forward into the next room, only to stop before a doorway of which had purple flames at the entrance. Kite, with a serious look on his face, looked back to his party.

"I know I asked this before… but are you ready?"

The only reply he got in return was a nod from both the other guys, and he too nodded before turning and leading them through to the next room.

There, in the middle of the room, stood a worried Elk and a strangely vulnerable-looking Mia. The purple cat-like creature sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head down, even her tall ears were drooping.

"Elk… Who am I…?"

The blue-haired Wavemaster leant forward, holding his staff behind his back, and smiled, "You're Mia!"

"I can't… remember… My only memories… are of here in The World…" Mia replied slowly, but then suddenly, her hands/paws flew to his head and grasped it tightly. She shook her head and shouted out, "Stop it! I want to stay as me!"

Kite quickly ran forward, but then halted as the cat screamed out again, "STAY BACK!"

Everything seemed to calm down as she dropped her arms and stared down at them in her lap. She was _glowing_, too, so obviously, _something_ was happening.

"Elk… I'm sorry…" she apologized softly.

"Wh-What…?" Elk asked, but it was then that he had to jump back, seeing a huge, pinkish skirt-like _something_ come out from beneath the cat girl.

The thing was _alive_, even, for it rose into the air and grew larger as it practically _swallowed_ her. The young Wavemaster reached out a hand and cried.

"Mia!"

A sudden shockwave came from that huge pink thing that looked like it had eyes all over it, and it was headed straight for Elk first, since he was the closest. Kite growled, dashing forward and leaping in front of the younger boy. He took _double_ the damage he would have taken just because he took the fall for the other. He winced, but then the second wave came and he let out a roar in pain as he _and_ Elk were pushed backward toward the wall.

Landing with a rough **_thud_** on the floor, Elk scrambled to Kite's side and held his Staff over him.

"_Pha Repth_."

With the Twin Blade's HP back to full health, he sighed as he sat up, only to look straight at the boy of whom he'd saved.

"K-Kite… Wh-Why'd you…?"

He smiled gently, pushing himself up to his feet and watching as the other followed the movement, "I just… felt like I had to, alright?"

It was then… that the huge _thing_ reopened. Mia was no longer inside of it… but now, something that looked like a larger and _pinker_ version of a cat-like creature stood as a _part_ of that thing. It spun around several times, that skirt-ish thing flowing out like a dress would. The monster was smiling and it seemed to be… _singing_?

"Everyone! Fall back! I repeat, _Fall Back_!" Balmung commanded, even though _he_ wasn't the Leader of the Party, he still had **way** more authority than Kite did.

_Fall Back? Balmung, what's going on there?_ Came Lios's voice, ringing through the chamber.

"We've got a problem, Sir! We didn't find The Wave, but one of the 8 Phases! We're going to need reinforcements for this one!"

_**Nonsense**! You can handle it for at least a few moments, can't you? I'll send in the few that I can find, but you can**not** let that Phase live any longer than it all ready has! Is that understood?_

"Yes, Sir!" Kite shouted out, motioning for Balmung to start attacking and for Wiseman to stay on First Aid.

The two in his Party nodded, doing as they were told to. Balmung ran forward and began to slash at the huge Phase Beast, apparently, the _6th_ Kite's come to see. He looked to Wiseman and called out.

"Which Phase is it?"

"This one is the 6th Phase, right? It's Macha, also known as _The Temptress_." Came an answer as he immediately wound up starting to heal the only one who seemed to be attacking.

"T-Temptress…? Wh-Why do they call her—" Elk got his answer when he saw the huge monster suddenly cast Renkei Lei on Balmung, automatically _Charming_ him.

"Somebody Heal me, quick!" he called as he began running toward Wiseman.

"Ack!" Kite quickly took out a Restorative and used it on the winged-PC. He saw a nod of thanks from Balmung before turning back to face Elk, who was watching Macha with a frightened look on his face.

"Th-That's Mia…?"

The Twin Blade nodded sadly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Listen, Elk, you don't have to fight… Just get out of here. That's not Mia, but I'm pretty sure that Mia is somewhere _inside_ of that thing. I'll make sure to bring her back to you, is that okay?"

The Wavemaster raised a hand and placed it over the other's, only to look up at him with a determined look, "No, Kite… I… I want to help… Mia was my very first friend, and I think I should have at least _something_ to do with this…" His look changed to one of a plead, "Please, Kite?"

Kite sighed in defeat, he just couldn't say _no_ to this guy. He nodded, "Just… stay back and attack with Magic. Balmung and I will attack close-range." With that said, he turned around and rushed to help his winged companion, "Staccatto!"

He spun around several times, his movements with his blades so graceful and yet still so quick. Elk noticed this, but caught himself at it and ran forward a few steps, standing beside Wiseman and holding up his Staff.

"_LaRue Zot_!"

The Phase was forced to stop as the spell was cast, and suddenly columns of ice rose beneath her and caused her to cry out. Strange… was Magic the key to defeat her? She didn't even seem to _feel_ any of the attacks Kite and Balmung were dealing on her with their blades.

"Try using Magic, Kite!" he called out, trying to give off a hint and see if it worked.

"Right!" the Leader replied, jumping back and casting a spell of his own, "_MeRai Kruz_!"

Balls of thunder appeared over the monster and converged straight in her face. She didn't seem effected by it, but she _did_ seem annoyed. Now, things were going to get a little bit hard… up until now, she hadn't attack anyone, but now, it was her turn.

She held her hands up to her right side, a huge ball of light growing there until she threw it straight down on Balmung of the Azure Sky and Kite. The damage was horrible, but thankfully, that as why Wiseman was there. He raised his Staff and cast a Healing Spell.

"_Phal Repth_."

Their HP was restored, but Macha had Skill Drained them, so they were running out of SP every time she sent out a small shockwave. The blue-haired Wavemaster, however, was trying to figure out her weakness. When _he_ used Magic, it hurt her… but when Kite did Magic, _nothing_ happened. Maybe…?

He ran forward toward the two other people who were fighting, raising up his Staff again, "_OrVak Rom_!"

A tornado of fire began to take place, doing _severe_ damage the longer it spun. How did it last more than two seconds? Elk was letting it slowly dwindle-down his SP. That should keep her distracted for a while…

"Elk! What're you doing!" Kite asked, finding this as the opportunity to go over to his friend.

"I don't know why, but she seems to get a lot of damage whenever _I_ attack… Maybe it's because I was her friend…? Do you think I could possibly bring Mia back?"

"Somehow, I doubt it, Elk… This is a Phase Beast! It's not going to be that easy! So, let's just defeat this form and then see what we can do, all right? Each Phase has two forms; obviously, this is the first form. In it's second form, it _should_ be easier to find out _where_ in there Mia is."

"Really? Okay, then!"

Kite ran back to where Balmung was attacking and began doing so, as well, but with _Skills_, though low as his SP was. Elk attempted to run back to where he'd been standing beside Wiseman, but halfway there, he had to stop.

"_Elk! Why are you **doing** this to me--! A-Aaah!"_

He turned around to face the Phase Beast, only to gasp as he saw it cringing and moving about in pain. He could _actually_ somehow _see_ Mia there in Macha's place. The voice was still deformed, as if it were a cross between Mia's voice and Macha's, but he could still till she was there… He ceased the fire tornado attack and just _stared_.

"M-Mia…?"

"_Elk, why are you going against me? Why are you going with **their** side?"_

He winced at the yell, holding his Staff closely to his chest. His voice was silent and saddened when he replied, "I-I'm sorry… b-but th-they're my—"

"_Friends? Elk, who was your very first friend? Who do you always go looking for? Who doesn't mind you being around? Who protects you when you're in trouble!"_

Elk bit his lip and mumbled, "Y-You… _and_ Kite…"

"_What was that?"_

"Mia, this isn't you! When I'm with you, I feel like I have to be protected all the time, and you're always there to do it! You're always on the same side I am, and you help me so much… but now I'm staying on the same side you and I once fought on! You're the one who's changed, Mia!" he exclaimed, an angry look on his face. He wasn't going to forgive this _thing_ for trying to manipulate him through the memories he had with Mia.

"_Raaa!"_ Macha roared in that deformed voice of hers, lashing out at Elk and _grabbing_ him.

"ELK!"

The Wavemaster turned his head, seeing that the yell had come from Kite. He was worried… about _him_. Had he not been in this situation, he might've actually blushed cutely and done something that would make the other boy proud, but he didn't know _what_ to do. Macha had a grip on his entire body, and he couldn't move.

"_I won't allow it… You're coming with me! I don't want to be alone anymore!"_

His eyes went wide as suddenly he became Charmed. The Phase let go of him, but he just floated there in the air. Those normally innocent crimson eyes that held so much light that it was almost hard to believe had lost their light, and now held nothing but the Void he'd always been afraid of falling into.

"Elk! What's going on!" Kite called out, staring up at the younger boy.

Macha laughed in her sing-song voice, _"Elk's decided to come with **me** now.. I won't have to be left all by myself… He's going to stay here with **me** after you all are dead."_

"**What**!" the Twin Blade asked with surprised wide eyes. He immediately turned his head to look from the Phase to the boy he'd just recently spent a whole day with, "Elk, it's not true, right? _Right_!"

Elk glared coldly down at him, raising his Staff and answering slowly, "It's… _true_…"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Err... Yeah. My brother Reviewed, but that's good enough for me. I like posting my stories here, y'know? Don't even care for the Reviews anymore... 4th Chapter should be up by tomorrow at the latest!

Oh yeah! I don't like Cliffys.. LoL, I wrote one, anyway. xD!


	4. True Colors

**: Fragment No. 4 :**

**_True Colors_**

**_Quick FlashBack:_**

_Macha laughed in her sing-song voice, "Elk's decided to come with **me** now.. I won't have to be left all by myself… He's going to stay here with **me** after you all are dead."_

"_**What**!" the Twin Blade asked with surprised wide eyes. He immediately turned his head to look from the Phase to the boy he'd just recently spent a whole day with, "Elk, it's not true, right? **Right**!"_

_Elk glared coldly down at him, raising his Staff and answering slowly, "It's… **true**…"_

**Σ Graceful Tempting Fallen Angel – CONTINUE**

Kite felt his Heart shatter into several pieces the moment he head the younger boy's answer. It couldn't be… It just _couldn't_ be… Elk wouldn't turn against them all of a sudden! Although, this Phase Beast had once been his very first and probably _best_ friend… would he really turn against them for _her_?

"Why…? Tell me why! Why've you sided with Macha!"

"Her _name_ is **Mia**!" the Wavemaster shouted angrily at him, casting a spell, "_OrbiAni Don_!"

The older boy looked around the air, seeing many black skulls materialize out of the Darkness. They all flew down toward him and did some _major_ damage.

"Kite!" called Balmung and Wiseman in unison, the old Wavemaster casting _Pha Repth_ on him.

Although Kite knew that he still had the older PCs on his side, he didn't know if he could continue fighting now… with Elk turned against them… how _could_ he?

Macha held her hands up again, another ball of light forming there. As she threw it at Kite, she spoke.

"_Sprite of Love! Come on, Elk! I'm sure you can attack, too!"_

Elk nodded, spinning his Staff in an expert-like way as he cast several different Spells at once, "_OrVak Rom_! _OrGan Don_! _LaRue Zot_! _MeRai Rom_! _OrbiAni Don_!"

The Twin Blade had been pushed back slightly by the Phase's attack, but it did next to _no_ damage to him. Why was this? It _missed_, and he thought that was on _purpose_, just to get Elk to attack him. He panted, looking up just in time to notice all the oncoming Magic Spells that the young Wavemaster had cast to do damage to _him_ and him _only_.

A tornado of fire came up from the ground beneath his feet, trapping him in the middle of it. He yelled out in pain as he lost about a fifth of his full HP, but then came the next attack… Boulders suddenly dropped down from the ceiling on top of him, causing another fifth to go down. The tornado of fire that had been spinning around him faltered, and he thought the attacks were done.

_Just_ as he was about to fall down, columns of ice rose from the ground and broke all around him, causing another fifth of his Health to disappear. The ice had broken into water and practically soaked him, and he wondered why… it'd never happened like _that_ to him before. Wait… there was something behind that…

He didn't get to ponder on it for very long before a tornado of plasma/Thunder formed all around him, causing _way_ more than a fifth of his HP to go down since water conducted electricity… It was then that the skulls appeared again, but they all _missed_ since he'd fallen down, _straight_ out of the way and almost out of HP.

"Wiseman! Heal Kite before he's down for good! I've run out of Recovery Drinks!" Balmung shouted at the old Wavemaster.

"I can't! I'm out of Mage's Souls and I'm too low on SP to do _anything_!"

Kite didn't really care for what the other two in his Party were talking about. Right now, he didn't care if he _died_, or even if he went into a _coma_. So long as Elk continued to side with Macha… he felt like he was _nothing_… _Nothing_ without that cute little Wavemaster following him and blushing and smiling…

"_Haahaah! Now, to get rid of that troublesome little worm **once-and-for-all**!"_ Macha declared, holding her left hand to her shoulder before pointing her palm at the weakened Twin Blade, _"With his HP hanging by a limb, he'll **die** once I'm done with him!"_

The famous and invisible bracelet that every one of the Phase Beasts had, just like Kite did, emerged from her wrist and began to open up, storing power to do the attack that put many innocent PCs into comas.

Elk watched as the poor and now-fragile Kite just laid there on the ground. He didn't move… not _one_ **millimeter**. He didn't even seem to be _breathing_! His own Heart _cracked_ slightly at the sight.

"K... K-Kite…" he stuttered, whimpering as he began to sweat, "M-Mia… St-Stop it… Pl-Please…"

"_What is going on? Why are you talking to me! When I give a command, you do it without question! You do not give **me** commands!"_ The Temptress hissed, smirking as the bracelet reached its limit in storage, _"Now! Data—!"_

"N-No!" the young Wavemaster shout, his eyes widening immediately and light returning to them the way they had been before. He'd broken the Phase's Spell, so now he would fall… Pushing himself forward through the air, he landed in front of the weak Twin Blade, also holding his hands out to his sides to protect him, "Kite! Wake up! _Please_!"

"E-Elk…?" Kite asked quietly, picking up his head slightly to look up at him.

Elk smiled down at the now-seemingly conscious Leader of the Party, "Yeah… It's me…"

"—_DRAIN!"_

"U-Ugh!" he grunted in surprise, suddenly falling victim to the **Data Drain** technique.

"I GOT IT!" Wiseman shouted in a random way, casting _Pha Repth_ on Kite.

The Twin Blade, his HP fully restored, pushed himself up quickly and ran to the brave-hearted young boy he'd been hanging out with all week. The boy was on the ground, so he too fell beside him. Picking him up and holding him in his lap, he stared down at the blue-haired boy's face with surprise written all over his own.

"Elk! Elk, _why_ did you _do_ that?" he demanded to know, worry in his voice.

"I… I wanted… t-to help…" came the younger's stutter of a reply, a weak smile on his lips.

"You didn't have to help in _that_ way! I would've been fine!"

Elk slowly shook his head, "No… you wouldn't've… Y-You would… have fallen… c-comatose… J-Just like everybody else…"

Kite, biting his lip, quickly turned his head and shouted, "You guys! Restoratives? Antidotes? ANYTHING?"

Balmung shook his head uneasily, but Wiseman stepped forward, waving his Staff for a moment, "_Rip Synk_."

Only _half_ of the many status problems the younger Wavemaster was experiencing had disappeared with that attack. The Leader quickly looked through his own bag, smiling in relief that he had an Antidote left over. Using it immediately, his smile widened as Elk sat up.

"S-Sorry… to worry you, Guys…"

All Kite did was smile, falling forward and wrapping his arms around the other's waist. He pulled him close, hugging him in a way one would hug someone you were afraid had died or had just come back from a far away place.

Wiseman smiled pleasantly at what was going on between the two, turning his head to look over to their other companion. Apparently, Balmung of the Azure Sky was… what? _Jealous_? That's what the look on his _face_ said. He was blushing lightly, slight anger on his face, his arms folded, and he was looking the _other_ way. The oldest of the four just laughed silently at this before turning his attention back to the two youngest.

"I'm so glad… you're all right…"

Elk blushed, wondering if he should hug him back. He mentally shrugged and slowly placed his arms around Kite's neck, embracing the other while savoring the feel of having him so close.

"_R-RAAAAAA!"_ came a shriek of pain from the huge Phase Beast.

All four of them looked up at The Temptress, only to watch as her hands flew to her head and she moved about as if she were in pain.

"_AAAAAAAAAH! HOW DID YOU BREAK MY SPELL? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME! **LOVE ME**! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO STAY WITH ME FOREVER, BUT YOU **RUINED** IT!"_ she yelled, creating another huge ball of light, _"ELK! ELK, IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU, THEN **NOBODY** CAN! **SPRITE OF LOVE**!"_

The blast fell right in front of them, missing them completely as they all jumped out of the way. Kite let go of the Wavemaster and smiled with confidence at him.

"You ready?"

A happy nod came from the other as they both stood up and ran forward to begin the attack. Balmung followed their lead, and Wiseman began casting spells from afar thanks to that long wait and the recovery of his SP.

"_OrGan Zot_!"

"_Vak Revolver_!" exclaimed the winged PC as he slashed at the monster with his flaming blade.

"_LaRue Zot_!" Elk cast the Water-based Spell.

"_Staccatto_!" Kite barked as he spun around numerous times, slicing and dicing and _actually_ doing damage this time.

"_R-RAAAAAAA!"_

Macha fell down on herself as she Protect Broke and just lay there for a moment, _completely_ open to _any_ type of attack they could throw at her.

"Kite!" Wiseman called.

"Do it **now**!" demanded Balmung of the Azure Sky.

Elk just smiled and nodded, "You can do it!"

The Twin Blade jumped back, activating his Bracelet as it grew and then pointed it at the Phase, "**Data Drain**! _Haah_!"

Macha's shriek filled the entire room as her Data was suddenly rewrote, and her outward disguise was broken. She, or rather _It_, looked like a few Magic-filled rocks that were connected together and were floating.

"Alright, you guys, _attack_!" Kite commanded, pointing one of his blades at the newly-formed monster before them.

Damage upon damage was being dealt to the monster, and the glow in the rocks began to fade away. Suddenly, a form was visible in the very middle one. Elk, of course, was the first to notice.

"K-Kite! Kite, Mia's in that one!"

The Leader looked to where he was pointing to and also saw the outline of their cat-like friend. He nodded, jumping upward and slashing at the gunk that held the rocks together.

"Let her go, _damn it_! _Tiger Claws_!"

He was able to cut one half of the rocks loose from the main one where Mia was held, but he was also dealing some major damage points… At this rate, they'd defeat Macha before they could get Mia out of there! He growled for a moment, deciding that it was the only way. All he could do was keep trying…

It didn't even take very long for them to finally overwhelm the Phase, so they'd won, in the end. Elk and Kite watched as the middle rock disappeared, revealing Mia, of who had been trapped inside of it the whole time. They rushed the area where she was slowly floating down, and Kite caught her easily, holding her up softly.

"Mia…" he whispered.

"_Repth_!" Elk attempted to Heal her with his Spell. It didn't work, "_Ol Repth_!" Still nothing… "_Pha Repth_!"

This time, he was pushed away by a blast of Data. He sat back, for a moment, leaning forward while holding his Staff close as he stared at his very first friend.

"Elk…" He looked straight at her as her eyes opened slightly, a pleasant smile on her face, "Thank you…"

Tears swelled in his eyes as he watched one of his closest friends slowly disappear into golden Data that floated up into the air, only to disappear soon after. He let his head face downward so no one could see his crying, but his tears slipped down to the ground, leaving drops of sadness there.

Kite moved forward and pulled the saddened Wavemaster into his arms, giving him a place to cry on his shoulder. His brown-gloved hands were on his back, rubbing softly as he attempted to comfort him.

_Balmung! Wiseman! Kite! Are you all still there?_

"Yes, Lios. What is it?" Wiseman asked, standing up a little straighter than he had, holding his Staff out to the side.

_The Data that vanished has returned. We're resuming operation! Go back to __**Ω Cruel Vindictive Scars**!_

"Yes, Sir!" Balmung nodded, looking to Kite, a serious look on his face, "You coming?"

The Twin Blade shook his head, motioning to Elk in his arms, "You guys go ahead… Balmung, you can lead, right?"

The winged PC nodded once again, "Yeah, sure… Later."

He turned around and left, leaving them there. Wiseman, however, smiled at the two younger boys.

"You know… this _really_ isn't the place to be crying… A monster could sneak up behind you and—"

"I got it, I got it… Jeez, you couldn't have named yourself _Wiseass_?"

He just smiled in amusement before he too left.

Kite looked down at Elk, "C'mon, Elk… Wiseman's right… We should get to one of the Root Towns where it's safe."

Elk nodded slowly as he sniffled, trying to calm himself enough to stop crying. The Leader of the now Duo-Party smiled softly at him, pulling out a Sprite Ocarina and playing it.

Upon leaving the Dungeon and reappearing in the Field, they instantly gated out of that area, only to appear back in the cloudy and windy Root Town of the **Σ Server**. Kite bit his lip slightly, his grip around the other's waist tightening so he wouldn't fall.

"Let's… go somewhere nicer…"

"Kite… Can I… be alone…?" This question surprised the older, and Elk knew it, "Please?"

"A-Alright…" Kite replied, blushing and looking away from him. He could only feel as the younger gated out of his arms and out of that particular Root Town, leaving him there to watch as a Stray Grunty scurried by.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Okay! I got _no_ Reviews at all for theprevious chapter... I only have 5 Reviews in all... and I've got 79 Hits for this fic. **Why _is_ that**? Oh well, who cares, as long as you people are _reading_ it, I'll continue... But here's something: The next chapter ends it. LoL, but I'm gonna try to make it cute, so Blah.

Just because I'm continuing this even if I don't get Reviews, that doesn't mean you can't if you want to! Please, at least _one_? Just _one_ would make me happy, even! -cry-


	5. Affection

**: Fragment No. 5 :**

**_Affection_**

**Ω Server : Relic City Lia Fail**

The dark aqua-haired Twin Blade would sigh as he left the Item Shop. He'd been trying to replenish his lost supplies thanks to how tough that battle with Cubia was. And just when he'd gotten back to town, they'd decided to resume operations… Which meant? Yes, he had to _back_ to** Ω Cruel Vindictive Scars** for a third time. Wouldn't _that_ be exciting…?

He stopped between the Item Shop and the Recorder as he stared down at the ground, a worried look on his face. His thoughts… that adorable Wavemaster was in _every_ _single_ _one_ of them.

"_Kite… Can I… be alone…? Please?"_

He shook his head, trying to get that out of his head. A small blush spread across his cheeks, like it always did whenever he thought about him. Shrugging to himself, he continued for the Chaos Gate. Stopping in front of it, he was about to type in the coordinates of where he was supposed to go… _again_. It was then, however, that he thought of a place that his friend might've gone off to. He folded his arms and thought for a moment; _would_ he be there? Sighing, he knew that it'd probably be going through his mind for the rest of the day if he didn't check _now_. So, he started writing a FlashMail to BlackRose, who was probably waiting in that area with Wiseman and Balmung.

_Hey Black Rose,_

_Sorry, I won't be joining you right now. There's been something nagging at the back of my head, so I've got to get rid of it before it starts to cause me problems. You guys can either wait for me and find a way to kill time, or go on ahead without me. Your choice. If you **do** decide to go without me, **Balmung** is Leader. I wouldn't want to hear about another PK-incident, alright?_

After sending that, he typed in the Keyword of which he hoped to find his friend in… **Ω Boundless Smiling Projection**.

**Ω Boundless Smiling Projection**

Kite blinked when he appeared there in the area he'd spent time with Elk in. Looking both left and right before moving, he began to run out of the safety square. He knew that there was supposed to be a Monster Crest in the next area, but apparently, it was all ready gone… This only _added_ to his hope of finding his friend here.

_He wouldn't be able to get very far if he went to the Dungeon, so I doubt he's there… Actually, there's only other one place he **could** be!_ He thought, smiling brightly.

The Twin Blade easily ran through the grassy areas, going through the right way rather than the left that lead to the Dungeon. He smirked when he saw that the Monster Crests here were gone, as well. As he approached the last two pillars, he stopped and hid behind one of them, peeking through the leaves of the tree that was right beside it.

_Bingo_, he thought, seeing his friend sitting on a rock where a treasure chest once sat.

The Wavemaster didn't seem to be doing anything… His Staff was lying on the ground by his feet. He was just sitting there, and his hands were cupped together. It looked as if he were looking at something in his hands… but from where Kite was, he couldn't tell what it was. In fact, it must've been _really_ small.

He sighed noiselessly, walking out from his hiding place and approaching him. He smiled gently as he stopped a few feet away from his friend, placing a hand on his hip and letting the other hang.

"Hey…" he greeted softly, as if he were greeting a frightened little bird that could fly off at any second.

Elk looked up at him slowly, the usual blush painting his cheeks pink, "H-Hey, Kite…"

"Mind if I…?"

"N-No… Go ahead…"

Kite sat down beside him, but in order to keep himself from falling off the rock, he had to sit _pretty_ close to the other boy. This caused them _both_ to redden intensely as their eyes met, but they looked away from each other right away. Somehow, the same thing was going through their minds…

_I-I have to tell him… If I don't tell him **now**, I… I could **lose** him…_ Elk thought, looking down at the ground.

Kite was messing with his glove, suddenly finding it _very_ interesting, _Should I tell him…? What if he doesn't fell the same way? He'll probably not want to see me again…_

That thought _really_ scared him. It reminded him of what's happened earlier when they were fighting against Macha. He hadn't cared if he died or fell into a coma… because in his Heart, he felt that he'd be _nothing_ without Elk there with him.

"Listen, Elk…" Kite was the one to break the silence first, "I'm sorry… that I couldn't do anything to keep Mia from… you know… _disappearing_…"

The Wavemaster shook his head, smiling weakly at the older boy, "I-It's alright… I'm fine… Because I know that even if she's gone… she's probably watching over me…"

"Yeah, but… didn't you love her?"

His eyes went wide at that question; him? Love _Mia_? Well, in a way, that was true… She was like an older sister who was always there to protect him, her little brother. It was almost amusing that Kite had actually thought that he could be in love with her… but then again, why did he ask that question? Could it be that… _he_ loved _him_? He mentally shook himself to clear away that thought, but it didn't work. The question just grew larger and louder in his head: _Could he possibly feel the same way for me as I do for him?_

"W-Well… I kinda saw her as… an older sister…"

The Twin Blade looked back at the other, staring with wide eyes, "Really?"

Surprise? That was definitely some sort of sign, Elk thought, his smile brightening slightly, "Y-Yeah… That's the only kind of love I've ever felt for her, actually…"

The love of a younger brother for an older sister… That was undeniably what he'd felt toward the tall purple cat-like character. The only _other_ person he'd ever felt something more than a friend or a sibling way for was Kite, but he couldn't tell him _that_… could he?

"Hm? What do you have there…?"

Elk looked up, following his object of obsession's gaze, only to look down at his hands, which held the Yellow Candy he'd given him the first time they'd finished that dungeon. He quickly _clamped_ his hands together in an attempt to hide it, but it was obvious that Kite all ready knew what it was.

"You still… have that?"

He nodded, a sheepish grin on his face, "I-I guess I couldn't bring myself to sell it… I-It has sentimental value…" He immediately picked up his hand and slapped it over his mouth, "I-I-I mean… U-Ugh, u-uhh… Wh-What do I mean…?"

Kite's eyes once again went wide with surprise, but he looked away from the other and smiled, "You mean that…?"

"M-Mean wh-what?"

He couldn't keep himself was chuckling quietly to himself before turning his brilliant blue eyes on Elk, "What I meant to say is… do you really hold it so dear to you?"

"Yes…" Elk replied guiltily, staring down at it in his hands again.

"Why?"

All right, the older boy was practically _giving_ the opportunity to confess his love by saying that… but would the blue-haired Wavemaster take this chance? Or would he prolong it _still_?

"W-Well… Y-_You_ gave it to me…" he said truthfully, but quietly, "I hold _everything_ you give to me dear to… my _Heart_…"

He was blushing _so_ pink right now that he thought he was going to _explode_! He didn't necessarily confess his love, but it was close _enough_. Surely, someone like Kite would take the hint? Come _on_, why would someone say that the things someone else gives him or her are precious to them?

"Hey, Elk…"

"H-Hmm..?" he still couldn't look at him, so he just kept staring at one of the trees, _Oh, look, that one has a pretty flower on it…_

His thoughts, however, were cut short when he felt a hand meet his chin and softly turn his head to face the other boy's. The first thing he saw were those brilliantly blue eyes he had, and his breath suddenly got trapped in his throat as he realized just _how_ close they were. However, he was only tense for a moment. Kite had taken off his gloves, and the hand that had been under his chin slowly traveled upward to caress his cheek gently. He sighed almost contentedly as he leaned into that hand, finding himself caught in the moment.

Kite slowly leant forward, watching as Elk's eyes slid closed. He could feel his cheeks grow even warmer as his eyes merely closed halfway before pressing his lips against the other boy's feather-soft ones. The kiss was tender and caring, as if they were shy but still trying to show each other how they felt. His tongue lightly licked at the other's lower lip, begging for entrance.

The Wavemaster opened his mouth a little bit, giving into what the Twin Blade was doing. A moan came from his throat as he felt Kite's tongue rub against his, and realizing that _that_ sound came from _him_, he blushed embarrassedly.

Although he thought he'd just ruined the moment, the only thing that moan did was turn Kite on. The older boy reached out and wrapped his left arm around Elk's waist, bringing him closer while the other hand continued to slowly stroke his cheek.

So many feelings were going through Elk right now… he thought he was going to _burst_ because of the intensity of how his Heart felt right now. Picking up his hands, he draped his arms over Kite's shoulders, his fingers playing with the dark aqua hair that stuck out of his hat.

Another moan escaped him the moment he felt the warmth of their bodies being held together and the fact that the older boy seemed to be having fun torturing him with his tongue.

Although long as they'd stayed like that, Kite had pulled away gently, only to smile down at the younger one. Elk stared up into those pretty blue eyes with his own crimson ones, feeling his Heart flutter as those three simple little words came out so easily now…

"I love you…"

Kite ran his thumb over the green marking on the right side of Elk's face, leaning forward to lay a short-but-sweet kiss on his lips before placing his forehead against the others to gaze into those deep crimson hues with sincerity and warmth.

"I love you, too, Elk…"

Before anything else could happen, they both heard the ringing of a FlashMail appearing. They both blinked in confusion, reading the mail.

_Hey Guys,_

_GET YOUR FUCKING ASSES OVER HERE! We're losing to a bunch of stupid Data Bugs and the only person who can stop them is KITE! Obviously, Kite won't come unless Elk does too, so both of you, GET OVER TO_** _Ω__ CRUEL VINDICTIVE SCARS_**_ BEFORE I DIE AND COME BACK TO LIFE WITH REVENGE ON YOU TWO IN MIND!_

They both laughed at the message BlackRose had sent to them, but looked at each other with loving smiles, "You wanna go? I could handle it by myself…"

The Wavemaster shook his head, taking Kite's hand into both of his own, "I-I want to go, too… I want… to go _anywhere_ you go…"

Kite nodded, pushing himself up to his feet and pulling Elk up with him, "Let's go save their butts…" He winked, earning a giggle from the younger one.

And so, they gated out of the area and went to save all those silly idiots who thought they could make it through a dungeon without them. The End!

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

LoL! I had SO much fun writing this... Yeah, People, this _ended_ it! But! Bare in mind, that I'm writing a Sequel! It's a .Hack/G.U. fic, but it's still Kite x Elk! How? Well, you'll just have to find out! Bwaa haahaa! X3!

THANK YOU, ... for Reviewing! The one Review that I got! How come I only got one? xD! Thanks, anyway.

_Ciao for Now!_

**--Emerald Twin Blade**


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